C.S. Lewis; The Space Trilogy

Did you know Lewis published three novels in the mid 1940's based on space travel and the spiritual battles that exist on every heavenly body that God created? This SciFi trilogy includes the books, "Out of this Silent Planet," "Perelandria,"and "This Hideous Strength."

The first book includes a linguist named Ransom, who is kidnapped by new age scientists who travel to Mars to confront the ancient beings living there. As it turns out, the planet is heavily under the influence of angelic beings who easily accept God's plan for their lives, and mourn for Earth, the silent planet under the influence of a darker being. The next books includes the creation of a human-like race on Venus, with a green, but equally beautiful "Eve." The final book deals with the battle between good and evil one earth, and includes the reawakening of Merlin from the King Arthur's tale.

I read all three novels and loved them, but I have to say that the content may be above the heads of most junior high and some high school students. There's a lot of philosophy in all three stories that they won't be able to appreciate. It WAS interesting to compare Lewis' fiction to space travel two decades later, and I really enjoyed the Merlin's character in the final book and how he was woven into the story.

All in all, if you're looking for a good read to share as a family, these books could be considered. Expect a lot of discussion, but enjoy a glimpse into Lewis' earlier works as a younger author.

Books with cuddly pink covers may not be as innocent as they seem. When my 11 year-old came home from the bookstore with a book titled “Thirteen” by Lauren Myracle, I immediately checked on Amazon and found a few less than favorable reviews including one that claimed the book contained a scene where the main character contemplates intimate acts between her parents. (Yes, THAT intimate act.)

I read further reviews on the author and found multiple comments by both parents and teens that claim her books introduce readers to sexual language and behavior, as well as drugs and unhealthy relationships with adults and teens. These reviews are most specific to the novels written in “text language” but also apply to most of the author’s very popular books.

I find it frustrating that I cannot set my children loose in their section of the library and trust that the books they find there are written with their well-being, rather than profit, in mind. The idea to write a series that follows characters through their formative years, as well as novels written in coded text language, are genius and I wish that Myracle was concerned enough about her readers to encourage positive thinking and include character enriching content in her novels, rather than selling the creepy detritus found within her paperback covers.

I can only stress how important it is for caregivers to read and discuss the literature their children read and weigh the consequences of exposure to the content. 

Mother's Day is Not Far Away

Want to read a sentimental tear jerker? Remember this book:






Enough said.

Don't Forget the Poetry of Shel Silverstein

As my oldest son prepares to graduate from high school and leave for college, I find myself a bit nostalgic about his childhood and the stories we read together when he was small. The Giving Tree was one of our favorites and we read it at least a hundred of times. I think I liked it so much because as a mother I identify with the tree who sacrifices everything she has for the child she loves. She desires only that he is happy and though she misses the boy during his numerous absences, his happiness brings her joy. In the end, though she feels she has little left to offer her loved one, he still needs her. (Sigh and happy thoughts.)

Of course, Mr. Silverstein also authored several additional books for children including his humorous poetry volumes full of prose that children love to read. These poems are not only funny, but touching in a way that children actually get. I'm telling you, when Shel passed away several years ago, the world lost some light. One of my favorites is "The Little Boy and the Old Man," a poem that illustrates how adults can sometimes overlook the elderly and the innocent. Here's a link to a site that displays the poem.

http://www.americanpoems.com/poets/Shel-Silverstein/13486

Where the Sidewalk Ends 30th Anniversary Edition: Poems and Drawings
A Light in the Attic
Where the Sidewalk Ends 30th Anniversary Edition: Poems and Drawings

THE TEACHER'S FUNERAL RICHARD PECK

THE TEACHER'S FUNERAL by RICHARD PECK

I love Richard Peck. His books are always charming and funny, a combination we adore here at the Taylor home. Set in the early 1900's, Peck weaves this nostalgic story with core values including hard work, family loyalty, and creative academics. When a small town's teacher dies in her home, the town must find a replacement while the students hope they escape life without a formal education. I recommend reading this on your next family camping trip by the fire. In that setting, your family will especially enjoy the chapter in which the main character's older sister sneaks up on her brother and his friend as a ghost.

Peck has authored several books that are a joy to read including "A Long Way From Chicago," (another humorous historical fiction book) and "The Ghost Belonged to Me," which is just scary enough to interest tweens.

Enjoy!

Jonathan Rogers. The Bark of the Bog Owl. Broadman & Holman Fiction, 2004. 240 pp. ISBN: 978-0805431315

I love it when authors recreate biblical events into fictional stories. These gems retell the stories I love with a fun twist. The Bark of the Bog Owl is the first book in a series of three by Jonathan Rogers, and it develops the young life of King David in terms our boys and girls can appreciate and enjoy. There is an appealing element of fantasy to the story and let me just say it is laugh out loud funny! My kids and I had not doubled over since reading Soup by Robert Newton Peck. (To be featured at a later date if you haven’t read this oldie, but goodie yet.) There’s nothing better than the sound of pure laughter from unruly boys on an otherwise dreary night.

This one is a no miss.

The Bark Of The Bog Owl (The Wilderking Trilogy)

AMAZON BOOK REVIEWS

I am blessed to have children who love to read. This is partly owing to the fact that we limit the time the T.V. blares in through our living room, but also largely due to my children's VIVID imaginations. Some of the books that they bring home I am already familiar with, and we are able to talk about the content of the stories they choose and their minds and hearts will be affected by reading them. Other times, I am totally in the dark, and also in doubt. It is then that I explore my options.

1. I read the book myself and discuss what I find with them.

2. I ask around, but many people I know don't favor books for adolescents like I do.

3. I check Plugged In online. (VERY helpful for movies, but their literature library is lacking.)

4. I check the reviews on AMAZON.COM.

Really. I think customer reviews are the best thing since sliced bread. (um.. make that Peanut Butter M&M's.) I check reviews on everything I buy online, and the insight of my internet neighbors has saved me a lot of time, money and trouble.

As far as books go, reviews I've read provide detailed information I can use and the authors range from grandparents down to early readers. What a great tool for literary analysis and written expression for students and for moms too!

SEE WHAT I MEAN. Here's a link to a novel my son (a high-school senior), was required to read last fall. Scroll down and explore the detailed reviews to this modern, controversial classic.

FINDING "THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS"

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008) PG-13. 94 min.  

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas Classroom Edition [Interactive DVD]

Relevant historical fiction and a shocking end enabled this flick to make its mark on my family, as I’m sure it did for many others. This movie is currently available on Netflix and somehow I happened on it, without any idea how good it might be. It stayed in the queue for weeks before we watched it, and afterwards I wondered what rock I was living under for me not to hear about this movie.

In a nutshell, Striped Pajamas is about a friendship between a young Jewish boy who held in a prison camp in the isolated German countryside, and the son of the Camp’s supervising officer. The bond grows between the boys unbeknownst to the rest of the world and the outcome of their desire to be together profoundly affects the otherwise unreachable German aristocratic family.

The genius of this story is that it is told through the eyes of a child, which allows the audience to hear it without the encumbrance of the money, foreign affairs or politics of the Jewish persecutions that occurred within Nazi Germany during the first half of the twentieth century. Still, don’t let them watch it alone.

WALK TWO MOONS - Tween (and Mom) Tearjerker

Sharon Creech. Walk Two Moons. New York: Harper Teen, 2003. 304 pp. ISBN: 978-0060560133. $6.99.

Walk Two Moons won the Newberry Award in 1995. The novel is based on a thirteen-year-old girl, Salamanca Hiddle, who deeply mourns her mother who left Sal, her father, and their lovely farm in Kentucky.

This book really appeals to the emotional curiosity of adolescent girls (I get teary just writing this review), but might be slightly difficult for a tween girl to comprehend-unless of course she also might be dealing with a similar situation. Despite what might at first appear to be a scandalous storyline, Walk Two Moons sweetly encourages family relationships, communication, acceptance, and forgiveness.

Though it is written for young audiences, this talented author effectively weaves rich character development, symbolism, and relevant themes into her story. Respect for Native American culture is also one of the novel’s major themes and, SPOILER ALERT: In Creech’s stories, a mother always returns to the family she loves.

Study guides are available on Amazon 

or ENotes http://www.enotes.com/jax/index.php/enotes/gsearch?m=co&q=walk+two+moons

Check out the author’s website for her charming bio and additional books. http://www.sharoncreech.com/

The DailyAudioBible.com. Its for kids too.

Brian Hardin has been broadcasting a daily reading of the Old Testament, New Testament, The Book of Psalms and Proverbs for more than four year now. This is a great site for adults who want to read the bible from cover to cover in one year, but the website also features a reading for kids, read by his own children. The younger voices appeal to our shorter family members. This is a new and interesting way to expose kids to the bible.

The Daily Audio Bible website also features a community forum where listeners can interact with each other. There is a very comfortable family-like quality. Hardin's organization also works to combat human trafficking abroad and if you are a coffee drinker, purchasing Windfarm coffee will help to support that cause.

If your are interested, visit the link: www.dailyaudiobible.com.

Click on the button that says "listen now" and you can choose to hear the bible in several different languages including Chinese and Hindi.

Its a small world after all.

Lasky's Broken Song

Broken Song. By Kathryn Lasky. Perfection Learning, 2007. 150 pages. Ages: 9-12 or Grades 5-8. ISBN: 978-0756979621.

Order info: http://www.amazon.com/Kathryn-Lasky/e/B000APL6IK/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

Though she is most recently popular for her children’s series “Guardians of Ga’Hoole, Kathryn Lasky is an incredibly talented author of historical fiction for children. According to her website, the author promises to deliver the same quality in her new animal series, “Wolves of the Beyond.”

On a historical level, Broken Song tells the story of a young Jewish boy who escapes the destruction of his small village in Russia by soldiers of the Czar after the death of his family. Carrying his infant sister to safety, Reuven Bloom displays incredible courage and strength of character.

I applaud Ms. Lasky for providing this genre for our children. Broken Song is written with appropriate emotion and suspense, and will increase a child’s knowledge of the Jewish pogroms that occurred in Russia during the turn of the nineteenth century, and increase sensitivity to the suffering and injustice of minority groups both in the past and the present. 

http://www.kathrynlasky.com/KK/Home.html

GRISHAM'S "THOMAS BOONE; KID LAYWER"

GRISHAM EXPLORES A YOUNGER AUDIENCE

You probably wont hear me sing about the unpredictable storyline or the depth of character development found in the Twilight Series very often, but I would like to share some books with you that I believe are interesting and fun without elements of inappropriate content that some authors use to sell their books to our kids.

So far, I really like John Grisham’s new book about a thirteen-year-old son of two lawyers who runs a no-cost practice on the side. Realistic? Maybe not completely but the possibility that a tween could perform the duties of an adult is quite appealing to that age group and it’s a nice change of pace from the vampires and demon stories that are so common lately.

John Grisham had me with his novel The Testament years ago, but I really applaud his newest title, Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer. I hope he writes more.

AUDIO BOOKS MAKE US HAPPY

Do you enjoy listening to audio books? I love to.  I pop in my earphones while I do housework when the kids aren’t home. An hour or two later I barely know I’ve been working. My children (ages 4-17) enjoy them too. There is an abundance of age appropriate books available for download from sites like iTunes and Audible.com. The local library also has some to lend at no cost. We listen to audio books during long car trips or on rainy days, sometimes when we’re doing yard work, or at night in bed. I value the opportunity our technology has provided to get my kids to read (or listen) to book they otherwise would have passed on the shelf.

Our favorite? The Junie B. Jones series.  Really! The main character of this series written by Barbara Park begins when the vivacious and brutally honest five-year-old starts kindergarten and follows her during the ups and downs of middle childhood. Junie B. ‘s brutal honest and vivid descriptions through the eyes of a child appeal to each one of us and we laugh, sometimes uncontrollably, as we listen to her stories together.

A few years back, a regularly carpooled the kids to school. It was a twenty minute drive each way, and the morning commute was especially quite as the kids slumped sullenly in the back seat. Oh, but on the mornings we had a good audio book playing on the radio, the kids were happier by the time I saluted them out of the car door.

Television Advertising

How much time do your kids spend in front of the T.V. everyday? For my family, its different every day. It depends on what's on, as well as how much energy I have left. Yes. I admit that I've used the tube as a babysitter in order to take a quick refresher nap on the couch, but while raising two biological children, three children our family adopted, and fostering two more, that what my children spend time watching greatly affects the way that children think and behave. I'm not going to cite the numerous scientific studies that attest to this fact. (At least not yet.) I started this blog to share what I've learned first-hand, as well as what I'm still learning about the books, television shows, music marketed to my most  precious and impressionable loved ones.

I often have a hard time finding reviews on the books they bring home from the school library, so I often read them myself. I listen to their music and watch the movies and T.V. shows they find interesting, and I'll share my thoughts on their content here in this blog.

Please feel free to comment on what I have to say. I love to hear from other mothers, fathers, and children too.

Here we go!